Size DOES Matter

When it comes to Doll clothes anyway! Sew Chic Doll Boutique

Shortly after I started researching doll clothes I noticed that many people advertised that their clothing fit both the American Girl 18" doll AND the Bitty Baby/Bitty Twins 15" dolls. My first instinct told me that this was wrong. Why would Pleasant Company and then Mattel develop two completely separate lines of dolls if their items were interchangeable?

I only had 18" dolls and had no way to prove or disprove the claims but I was reluctant to claim that my items would fit any other doll, regardless of what others had said. Luck was on my side and I didn't have to wait long to find the truth. I was in the second hand store and I found a used Bitty Baby for $15. This is a significant discount from the original sale price, and even the going rate on ebay which hovers around $25 I believe.

I took my new baby home and tried on it some of the 18" doll clothing. I found that, while some of the items did fit, the majority did NOT. Some of the problems were obvious such as the pants weren't the right length and the difference in neck circumference is about an inch which makes 18" doll shirts tight around Bitty Baby's neck. Most of the differences in fit are more subtle. Below is a list of select measurements taken from the dolls. The measurements are approximate, and meant to illustrate where the size differences are most emphasized.

Attribute.....................18" doll.....Bitty Baby/Bitty Twin.....Difference
Height.............................18".....................15".........................3 "
Head Circumference.........12"....................12.5 ".........................0.5"
Neck Circumference......6"......................6.5".........................0.5"
Waist Circumference.......11".....................12".........................1"
Total Body Length..........8.5".....................7".........................1.5"
(neck to crotch)
Arm Length.........................7".....................7".........................0"
Bicep Circumference........4.25"...................4.5"......................0.25"
Leg Length (waist to floor)......10"...................9".........................1"
Thigh Circumference...........6"...................6.5".........................0.5"
Body Depth........................3"..................2.5".........................0.5"

These are not the only differences. Bitty Baby and Bitty Twin, aside from the new head mold and added hair, do have 1 huge difference. It is in how the backside of the doll is sewn. Bitty Twin is sewed up in a way that makes the doll sit on its own. Bitty Baby is sew in a way that allows it to lay down. I am not sure how this affects the way certain clothing items fit the dolls but intend to find out. I will report more on this later. Hopefully I can upload some pictures tomorrow to more clearly illustrate what I am referring to.

The 18" dolls also have "more junk in the trunk" as one woman put it to me.

In general, I would be wary of anyone who claims their items fit both dolls, while it is entirely likely that they do, you may not get the fit that is shown on the other doll. I would always ask for pictures of how an item fits the specific doll you want it to, before purchasing any item claiming to fit both dolls.

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